COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ENTERPRISE AND TOURISM SPC
Thursday, March 26, 2015
HEADED ITEM NO.
HEADED ITEM: T. Shanahan
Update on Business Support Grant
REPLY:
The rationale for the Business Support Grant (BSG) is that 1% of rates paid would be ringfenced to directly support business. This is subject to the budgetary approval by the Elected Members.
As the SPC member's are aware the primary operation of the BSG is a direct grant to eligible businesses with a rateable value of under €10,000.
Work is ongoing with the Finance department to pay the remaining approx. 900 applicants. The letter for the 2015 grant, which has been simplified, is due to issue.
With respect to the surplus funds from the BSG, as agreed, they will be used to target industrial vacancy/ underutilisation and obsolescence and; to promote innovation and enterprise, on a percentage breakdown of -
- 60%- infrastructural upgrading works to be of a capital nature.
- 30%- innovation, startup advice and supports including incubation space
- 10%- targeted training, to be identified by targeted surveys and delivered through LEO
Work is ongoing on this basis, over the last number of weeks;
- The other stakeholder departments in the Council have been met with a view to linking in with their own programmes of works to ensure value for money is achieved and to ensure that the business support work does not become a substitute for other core roads / public realm projects. In this respect the Roads Area Engineers, Senior Engineer Roads and Senior Engineer Public Realm have been met to establish a work programme that completes schemes that were highlighted at the last working group meeting, in the first instance, particularly in JFK and Cookstown industrial estates.
- Further to discussions with owners along JFK Drive, who have requested that the red and white plastic barriers along JFK be removed in order to improve the visual and aesthetic nature of the area, we have engaged with Drainage Section (owners of the barriers) and representatives of local business to establish a more realistic long term and more aesthetically acceptable means of protecting the Camac Culvert.
- Work is ongoing with the LEO, the Sustaining Business Executive and the Chamber to identify opportunities for incubation space and to directly link with local business to identify opportunities for targeted infrastructural support within particular industrial areas.
- A list of appropriate contacts is being drafted to establish a line of communication with appropriate management companies / representatives from the various industrial estates.
- The Director of Services and a team meet with representatives from Cookstown Enterprise centre to discuss practical issues relating to improving their area. Follow on work is ongoing on these matters.
- In conjunction with the Chamber a targeted survey is being prepared to identify the training needs of local firms within the County. This will allow for a tailored training programme to be devised and rolled out through the LEO which will directly assist firms in up skilling and improving economic activity.